School of Social Work
Office of Field Instruction V O L U M E
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
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FIELD NOTES I S S U E
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W I N T E R
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N E W S L E T T E R
Fighting for Immigrants’ Rights By Joanna Krasnisky A panel discussion on U.S/Mexico border policies was held at Rackham in February to discuss immigrant rights. Associate Professor Sherri Kossoudji spoke out about “secure communities” and what is going on inside the U.S. border. One of her main messages was that immigrants are living in fear of law enforcement, due to unjust criminalization and deportation processes by U.S. law enforcement. Two immigration rights activists from the No More Deaths organization presented information on the transition of immigrant policy from a humanitarian crisis into a human disaster. No More Deaths provides aid to address the immediate needs of individuals in crisis living in the desert, as well as their needs after being deported. They part-
ner with other organizations in Mexico to provide medical aid, clothing, food, and property recovery assistance to individuals recently deported from the U.S. Their campaign organizes border communities and serves as a point of contact where locals and visitors can ask questions and receive needed support.
Fighting for Immigrants Rights
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Agency Spotlight: Washtenaw County Alliance for Children and Youth
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From the Director’s Desk
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Student Spotlight: Farah Barbar
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Student Spotlight: Joe Reilly
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Applying Systems Theory to Increase Foster Placements
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Field Instructor Spotlight: John Carey
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The Power of Reflective Supervision
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Clinical Scholars Program
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Competent Practice with LGBTQ Individuals
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The Importance of Networking in Field Placement and Your Career
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Many Thanks to Our Peer Facilitators
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Mission: “Washtenaw County Alliance for Children and Youth (WACY) is a collaboration of youth-serving agencies dedicated to improving services, quality of life and success for young people in our community.”
Thank you Field Faculty
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Announcements and Accolades
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Contributors and Contacts
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The Washtenaw County Alliance for Children and Youth (WACY) has been collecting and reporting data on risk and protective factors among youth for the past five years. Formed in 2008 as a grassroots organization, WACY was a reactionary measure to an unmet need in the community. Founders of the organization noticed that young people were not being pri-
For the last five years, the Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (WICIR), co-founded by Laura Sanders and
WICIR sponsored protest in 2010
three other individuals, has led the fight for immigration rights in Washtenaw County. The organization was inspired after a violent raid by ICE (Immigration and
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Agency Spotlight: Washtenaw County Alliance for Children and Youth
Prioritizing Youth First By Jenna Voeks
oritized in the community, and there needed to be a group to actively plan and coordinate youth services. The organization also seeks to improve the effectiveness of individual agencies by providing professional development and evaluation. WACY provides training and networking for its members, data
for the community, and a space for providers to collaborate. It seeks to improve outcomes for school age youth, prenatally to post-secondary. Most of their work is driven through committees which involves gathering and analyzing data, identifying needs or gaps in the community,
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From the Director’s Desk By Elizabeth (Betsy) Harbeck Voshel, Director of Field Instruction & Associate Clinical Professor Welcome to spring! I want to take this opportunity to update you on our reaccreditation efforts from the field perspective. We are slowly operationalizing the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) required competencies and practice behaviors. The field community has been working with these for a while and the feedback we have received from our students and field instructors has been extremely helpful to us as we move forward. The behaviorally-specific and measurable student field-based assignments, which are developed and implemented under the supervision of our field instructors, remain the best way for us to capture actual field-based learning. We hope that the student’s work is value-added and makes a contribution to our fieldwork site partners. Because the School of Social Work is now required to collect data for CSWE that assesses the student’s proficiency related to the practice behaviors for each competency, the field instructor will now score each practice behavior instead of the assignments using a new scale. This new scale allows the field instructor the opportunity to assess varying levels of profi-
ciency in the student’s overall knowledge, skills and abilities. The scale also allows the field instructor to watch students’ skills develop from a beginning level toward the mastery level. The goal of field instruction should be to develop beginning practitioners who are competent and who exhibit an advanced level of competence by the time they graduate. Should the score of 5 (mastery) be given, it would only be used for those students who were exceptional in some dependable way and who have consistently demonstrated their proficiency. “Mastery” implies depth of understanding and an ability to confidently deal with complexity as well as demonstrating an advanced capacity for independent practice. I am sure you would agree that 912 hours of field instruction does not a master make! In addition, each student will now rate themselves on these practice behaviors during their last term in the program, which will allow the School to compare the field instructor data with the student data and enable us to target areas where teaching can be improved, and to create new opportunities for learning and experience.
develop an online Educational Agreement. As a result , all field instructors will need U-M uniqnames (the U-M username) and a password in order access to our system. We are striving for ease and efficiency for everyone involved as it relates to completing the Educational Agreement form, approving the form and student assignments, and the end of term evaluation where the field instructor scores the practice behaviors. We hope to pilot this soon, so stay tuned! Finally, I want to thank our editor, Carolyn Ruffolo, for producing such a great newsletter! Reading the student spotlights and agency highlights was a good way to learn more about those entering the social work profession, as well as those who are mentoring them. I would like to express my continued appreciation for all our field instructors have done and continue to do for our students. I also want to wish the Class of 2013 a happy graduation and hope they will be excited about giving back as alumni by becoming field instructors.
We are also working intensively with our web programmers to
Field Notes Editorial Team 2012-2013 Our sincerest thanks to the School of Social Work students, faculty, staff, and field instructors whose contributions made this newsletter possible.
Ashley Garrick, Freud Fellow Joanna Krasnisky, Freud Fellow Chelsey Vanden Esschert, Freud Fellow Jenna Voeks, Freud Fellow Carolyn Ruffolo, Editor-in-Chief
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Student Spotlight: Farah Babar
Connecting Family Values with Field Placement
By Jenna Voeks
Farah was motivated to pursue geriatric social work after an inspirational experience as a participant in the university’s project outreach program. Through this course, she was placed at Glacier Hills, a senior living community in Ann Arbor, where she made a strong connection with a 92 year-old veteran that she continued working with after the course requirements had ended. She saw the need for services within
This experience inspired her to take a leadership position by facilitating groups of students in subsequent project outreach courses. Her instructor for the course noticed her passion for geriatric work and suggested she pursue a career in social work. Because of this experience and mentorship, Farah is now at U-M SSW.
Farah Babar
Farah Babar is a 16-month curriculum track student at the School of Social Work, concentrating in Interpersonal Practice in Aging with a minor in Management of Human Resources. She was recently awarded the Vivian A. and James L. Curtis Endowed Scholarship for Geriatric Social Work for her exemplary work in the field and academics. Raised in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, Farah comes to the SSW after completing her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Michigan.
Farah Babar
the geriatric population and recognized that many people do not know how to relate to them. She strives to fill this need. Having a family from Pakistan, where it is taboo having older adults live in a senior living community, Farah noted the strange dichotomy of wanting to help the aging yet not wanting to have her own family members placed in a senior living community.
Farah’s goal is to become a licensed social worker, employed in an interpersonal setting. She is also very interested in art therapy and has considered the possibility of getting a masters in that field as well. Farah believes in the power of art therapy because she has seen its success with individuals in her past experiences. She is also open to the possibility of doing research in the future, but has no specific plans to pursue that now. Farah is placed at Senior Coun-
seling Services in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Senior Counseling Services is a private in-home counseling service agency that serves all of southeastern Michigan and is funded through Medicare. The agency provides in-home mental health assessments and in-home individual psychotherapy. She is currently focusing on developing her skills in these two areas. Farah is also using her prior facilitation experience to develop new therapy groups regarding positive aging and bereavement. Her goal is to promote positive self perceptions of aging by making sure elders understand the reality of aging by distinguishing normal biological and psychological aging from abnormal aging. Farah’s placement has also given her the opportunity to attend various networking events throughout the community and visit senior
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Student Spotlight: Joe Reilly
A Mind-Full of Joe Reilly By Joanna Krasnisky Joe Reilly, an extendeddegree, Interpersonal Practice- Children, Youth, and Families student, has evolved a meaningful professional identity through connecting his academic and field placement learning experiences, spiritual journey, and passion for music, nature, and children. A core principle of Joe’s authentic work is bring-
ing compassion into action. While finishing up coursework, Joe is devoted to empowering, educating, and spreading mindfulness to communities throughout Michigan, as well as other states. He spread his knowledge of mindfulness to the University of Michigan by offering mindfulness practice to students and faculty.
Joe’s last field placement was at Peace Neighborhood Center, where he spent time working with their after-school youth program and summer day camp program. Joe shared his music and mindfulness with the youth there, and taught youth guitar and songwriting workshops. He
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Applying Systems Theory By Ashley Garrick
“In 2011, it was reported that over 400,000 children are in foster care nation wide.”
Thousands of children in foster care throughout Michigan need the stability of a safe and loving home, with caring parents to nurture and guide them through life. In 2011, over 400,000 children were in foster care nationwide. Many of these children in foster care have never known what it is like to have healthy meals, a warm bed to sleep in, or someone to help them with their homework and attend school events. These children are often abused, neglected, and abandoned by those whom they love and trust the most. The Judson Center believes that every child is entitled to grow up in a permanent family with love, stability and safety. They work with parents who have had their children placed in foster care, helping them to strengthen their family units in overcoming barriers that may prevent these children from returning back home to their biological families. If the child cannot safely return home, the Judson Center diligently searches for alternative placements to ensure that these children grow up in a permanent and stable family.
more often than not unfortunately, but another agency may have a family willing to take them. If we cannot satisfy their needs with a family, the state continues until they find one that is appropriate. Though, this can mean placing them outside their county, however, we try to keep them as close to home as possible to keep their life ‘normal’, or placing them in a shelter or residential home” says Sweany. The Judson Center reaches out to the community through door to door flyers, at festivals and fairs, attendance at Chamber of Commerce events in multiple cities, fundraisers and many other activities. Their goal is to recruit and train families to provide loving foster homes for children. In previous years, the Judson Center reported having a sufficient amount of willing foster parents. The number of foster
parents continued to increase until 2011. During this year the Judson Center had 518 willing foster parents in their system.
Many of these children in foster care have never known what is it like to have healthy meals, a warn bed to sleep in… However, the number of willing foster parents has started to decrease. In 2012, the Judson Center reported having only 286 willing foster parents. This is a drastic 55% decrease from the previous year. Sandra Ohl, the Judson Center’s Program Manager, states that their biggest difficulty in recruiting foster parents is “learning the right places and populations to promote the program.” Ohl further states that following up with foster parent inquiries has also proven difficult due to a limited number of staff.
According to Addison Sweany, the Judson Center‘s Foster Home Recruitment Specialist, the agency currently has 85 foster homes. “We get calls almost daily about children within Michigan that need placement. There are almost 14,000 children in Michigan who are in the foster care system. We may get a call for a child, but not have a home for them. This happens A “thank you:” note from the children to the foster parents
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to Increase Foster Placements Their numbers decreased due to the Modified Settlement Agreement of 2009, which mandates decreased caseloads for foster care licensing and adoption staff. This mandate has caused the agency to suffer financially, forcing them to make staff reductions, which in turn affects their ability to participate in recruitment events. Ohl believes that in previous years there was greater general interest in foster parenting but the more stringent standards and rules for being a foster parent may have “contributed to public fear of the process.” The Judson Center recognizes the importance of family structure and is mobilizing the community to recruit foster parents so that children in need of supportive homes have the opportunity to grow up in a family. Child protection systems work best when there is balance between system goals, structures, functions and context. Given the fluctuations in recruitment, the Judson Center is shifting its recruitment tactics towards a systems theory based approach by focusing on the interconnected factors that impacts foster care placement outcomes.
tems theory approach relates to families because it stresses the importance of each individual and their influence on the family as a whole.
Their goal is to recruit and train families in providing loving foster
The Judson Center staff is learning that even though a particular approach to recruitment may not always produce the results they expected, it is still a vital part of the process. Positive effects in one area can impact the agency as a whole and assist in providing stable families to the many foster care children in need.
homes for children. The Judson Center is beginning to tap into systems through its FaithBased Initiative because as Sandra Ohl says, “people in faith-based communities seem to be most open in allowing us to come to their events and present our materials and spread the word to their fellow congregates.” Additionally, Ohl believes “the faith-based community is a tolerant population and often involves groups who are eager to help our organization and while it may not always produce foster parents, we often receive generous donations and acknowledgments.”
Judson Center
In social work, we use a systems theory approach to understand the complex dynamics surrounding an issue so we can determine the best way to approach it. A systems theory approach focuses on the continuous interaction of people, their environment and the systems that influence them. These systems are composed of inter-related parts, or subsystems. The system as a whole cannot function without each subsystem working properly. The sys-
Judson Center staff recruiting in a church
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Fighting for Immigrants’ Rights (continued from page 1)
Caption
Laura Sanders, WICIR co-founder
Customs Enforcement) and assisted by local police. The WICIR co-founders responded immediately by organizing an emergency meeting and interviewing women and children who were traumatized and separated from their family. Fifty individuals attended this first meeting, which expanded to 150 participants in the second meeting, including volunteers, supporters, peace and justice groups, and academic groups. Since 2008, WICIR has received 425 calls. Approximately 80% are reports of detainments of deportations of Latinos within private residences during all hours of the day and night. ICE officials and other police have unlawfully and aggressively entered private homes without legal warrants, used violence and threats in detaining people and terrorized, attacked, and separated thousands of families. Once individuals are detained, they often cannot be found or contacted, and are sometimes denied rights to clean clothing, money, healthcare, and
access to legal assistance. Sanders reports that these practices have increased everywhere in the country and have been exacerbated at the boarders. The grassroots organization’s mission has expanded and formed five action groups in response to these raids. WICIR focuses on urgent response, community education, including ally development, political action, and community organization. Sanders says their philosophy is to think globally but focus locally. The organization is in the process of developing an identification program that will provide more opportunity for individuals by providing a legitimate photo ID. WICIR also partners and advocates for the Understanding Race Project and other national women’s and children’s organizations. Sanders says that WICIR is truly a bottom-up organization, as the community members’ ideas are supported and empowered. Their incessant community organizing builds partnership between the allied community and the undocumented community.
In regard to Obama’s proposal and the Immigration Reform Packages, Sanders says, "We've been hearing that it's going to happen but have no idea what it will actually look like. We are concerned about aspects of reform that call for increased immigration enforcement and border security, which is already doing more damage than good. We want a realistic pathway to citizenship that does not include the ‘get to the back of the line’ statement, given that the line is a myth and the waits for people in various categories in already up to 20 or more years." On April 5th WICIR held a community conversation on Immigration Status and Increased Enforcement and Reform at Peace Neighborhood Center. For more information about the community conversation and WICIR’s future events, visit www.wicir.com or www.nomoredeathsvolunteers.o rg.
Student Spotlight: Farah Barbar Continued from page 3 homes to promote the groups that she is developing. Farah explained, “At my field placement I hope to achieve the necessary interpersonal skills to be a competent therapist specializing in the issues of older adults and people with disabilities. I also hope to learn how to manage a human service organization. By the end of my time at Senior Counseling Services, I will have developed a training program for therapists within the organization, planned and implemented therapy support
groups, and proficiently be able to navigate and mobilize a community's resources.” Farah is involved in a special project at Senior Counseling Services developing a community resource guide. She is also creating a training guide for new therapists. Because services are in provided the clients’ homes, therapists are infrequently in the office together. These two resources are extremely important in unifying the agency and will be a great addition to the organization.
Farah is very happy with her placement because it connects several of her passions such as being able to empower older adults, educating other health care providers about older adults and their needs, incorporating art into therapy and religious studies. Farah is very family oriented and loves to be with her sisters. She also loves documentaries, film and Oprah.
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Field Instructor Spotlight: John Carey
By Chelsey Vanden Esschert
Before becoming a social worker, John had several service experiences that led to social work being a natural fit for him. As an undergraduate student, John studied sociology. After graduation, he worked for the Lutheran Volunteer Corps and also volunteered at a homeless shelter on a mission trip. These experiences led him to pursue a Master’s degree in criminal justice. John soon realized that criminal justice was not the right
Chelsey Vanden Esschert
John Carey, LMSW, is a social worker at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti. He provides social work services to patients in the hospital who are uninsured and require complex care. In addition, he is the case manager for the health care system for Washtenaw Health Plan patients whose mental health or substance use is impacting their health. John has also been a field instructor for U-M SSW for ten years. John Carey and former intern, Kristy Hale
path for him. He disagreed with the correctional approach that criminal justice tends to take. Influenced by a colleague who was a social worker, he realized that the social work profession might be a better outlet for him to help people. John then pursued his MSW at the University of Maryland and finished his degree at Indiana University.
As a social worker, John has focused mainly on health and aging. He worked at the Area Agency on Aging and Lutheran Social Services and interned at a hospital during his MSW education. Following graduation, he was employed by the hospital. While in graduate school he knew that he wanted to con-
centrate in health. His own hospitalization revealed to him the necessity of social workers in healthcare settings. His educational experiences also impacted the way he viewed social work. In Elementary School, he learned about Jane Addams and the Hull House and thought the idea of helping people in their natural environment made the most sense. John was also influenced by a college course he took about deviance. He began questioning why we think of people at the margins of society as deviant and thought instead that we should try to bring people together. In all of John’s work, he strives to both help people in the community and bring people together from the margins of society. He works to engage with individ-
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The Power of Reflective Supervision By Joanna Krasnisky
Students: Are you receiving the supervision you need in field? Are you taking the initiative to learn the most you can from your field instructor, experi-
Symbolizing reflective supervision
Symbolizing Reflective Supervision
enced professionals, and coworkers at your field placement? Reflective supervision can influence the relationship established between supervisor and supervisee. This form of supervision is a collaborative reflection between you and your field instructor about your thoughts, feelings, and values that arise in field. Reflective supervision has the potential to positively impact clienttherapist interaction and therapeutic alliances because it helps you sort out your feelings and therefore goes beyond traditional administrative supervision. Rather than only receiving feedback, reflective supervision promotes trusting relationships in
which we are able to understand and explore parallel processes, and integrate emotion and reason into learning experiences. Building authentic relationships, developing effective communication skills, and processing what we are learning in field are essential components of both micro and macro practice. Setting up meetings to ask questions and express the experiences we have allows us to develop our professional identities. In traditional supervision, the supervisor’s role of being a listener for the supervisee is not emphasized as much as a listener to
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Agency Spotlight: Washtenaw County Alliance for Children and Youth
Prioritizing Youth First (continued from page 1) providing training and offering technical services to members, public education around issues for youth, planning and coordinating services among agencies in the system, and advocacy. WACY also seeks to increase data sharing among agencies in the community. A large portion of WACY’s services include data gathering and releasing their annual report card to Washtenaw County based on data from county wide measures, such as the public health department or Kids Count. The report card report on five major outcomes for youth: connecting, thriving, learning, working, and leading. From the data, WACY draws conclusions and makes recommendations to the community and stakeholders about topics such as gaps in services and how funding should be allocated.
“Their model seeks to change the leaders in a community so that there can be better support in a community for youth.”
Currently, WACY is using the Forum for Youth Investment's "Ready By 21" model to guide their work. The model seeks to educate the community leaders how to offer better support to youth. From there, they hope to change the way the community does business and the landscape of the community. This model
WACY website
The organization is also a space for youth serving agencies to network by knowing what other programs and agencies are available to youth. The involved agencies meet monthly, which allows them to collaborate and learn from each other. WACY is hoping to continue their collaborative training efforts with the goal of providing a consistent approach to services among youth-serving agencies in the community.
Looking forward, WACY plans to narrow its focus on high school graduation rates among diverse populations. In the beginning years, WACY succeeded at getting non-profit partners to work together. The next step is to get the schools to collaborate as well. The organization’s vision is to have all Washtenaw county youth ready for college, work and life by age 21 with a goal of increasing high school graduation rates. WACY seeks to be a broker between the schools and the agencies trying to help their students. Many agencies receive grants that require that they work in schools. WACY noticed problems when schools were either getting overwhelmed with agencies coming into their schools or schools accepting any assistance offered. WACY wants to help schools decide what agency assistance is needed for students and coordinate the services between the two entities.
WACY logo
proposes the outcomes of youth in a community will change. It is based on the premise that there are too many young people unprepared for college, work and life, and that communities need to come together to change this. The outcomes are data-driven and youth-focused. WACY gets its funding through Washtenaw Coordinated Funders, including the Ann Arbor Community Foundation, City of Ann Arbor, One Community, Washtenaw County, and the United Way of Washtenaw County. WACY will release their annual report card on April 26. Membership meetings are held monthly on every 3rd Monday. The best way to stay connected to WACY is by signing up for bimonthly e-news on the WACY website. Pam Cornell-Allen, Director of WACY was consulted for this article.
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Clinical Scholars Program By Chelsey Vanden Esschert
Chelsey Vanden Esschert
The Clinical Scholars Program is a new program for the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work this semester. There are currently six MSW students that have been awarded $20,000 stipends to practice in clinical settings with racial and ethnic minority youth in Detroit. The SSW received a training grant award from the Health Resources & Service Administration (HRSA) to fund this program for 3 years.–The stipend will be awarded to eight MSW students next year and ten the following year. The U -M School of Social Work is one of 18 schools of social work or psychology who were awarded this grant from the HRSA to train mental health clinicians. The Clinical Faculty team recognized a high need to train more MSW students for effective, cutting-edge clinical social work in
ance Center. In addition to specialized field experience, Clinical Scholars also take classes focused on developing clinical skills, substance abuse practice, working with youth who attempt suicide, and evidence-based family interventions. They also have a unique opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary team with the U-M Health System Department of Psychiatry with evidence -based clinical interventions. Clinical Scholars also must commit to seeking a The current Clinical Scholars from left to right: Teraye Walker, Nadia Matta, Alison clinical job working with Clinton, Elizabeth Mojica Hernandez, Aysha Mahmood, and Erica Vest racial and ethnic minority youth in urban areas following underserved areas. The school who concentrate in Interpergraduation. has strong partnerships with sonal Practice and Mental For more information about the organizations in Detroit who Health. They have field placeClinical Scholars Program, visit serve youth living with behavioral ments in Detroit with organiwww.ssw.umich.edu/ health challenges and their famizations such as The Children’s clinicalscholars. lies. Center, Southwest Solutions, American Indian Health and Students in the Clinical Scholars Family Services, and the Guidprogram are 16-month students
The Power of Reflective Supervision (continued from page 7) the dynamics of the client, case, or project. Although transference and countertransference between client and supervisee may be addressed in traditional supervision, the subjective and relational experience of the supervisory relationship is often ignored. Receiving adequate reflective supervision enables students to increase selfawareness, problem solve through situations, and open their minds to different per-
spectives. Reflective supervision is a necessity in the field of social work. Supervisors in reflective practice open a space for sharing information, containing the pro-
cess, and offering appropriate self-disclosures to truly humanize the role of the social worker who wears multiple hats with multiple populations. Modeling key aspects of reflective supervision may have a positive impact on the formation of therapeutic bonds, which research has shown is one of the most important aspects of successful treatment outcomes. We students must critically analyze how each relationship we
build affects others. Asking and advocating for reflective supervision can have a tremendous impact on our personal and professional development. Make your field experience a positive one and take your learning into your own hands!
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Competent Practice
By Chelsey Vanden Esschert
Partners In Change
and challenges, which is often not recognized by workers. They may assume if they know something about working with individuals who are gay, they know how to work with individuals who are transgender. Furthermore, social workers may not recognize their heterosexual privilege in their position. When thinking about issues of justice and oppression, people’s first thought is often not LGBTQ issues. These gaps in competency make it vital that educators teach social work students about working with this population, as well as continuously educating themselves and their colleagues.
Be a Michigan Ally
On March 22nd, several School of Social Work organizations came together to sponsor a conference promoting equality and awareness about LGBTQ individuals called “Social Work Education for Competent Socially Just Practice with LGBTQ People: Opportunities and Challenges.” The dedicated organizations that helped make this conference possible include the Dean’s TBLG Matters Initiative, the Multicultural and Gender Affairs Committee, the Curriculum Committee, the Office of Field Instruction, and the Queer Social Work Alliance. The conference featured lectures from guest speakers Shelley Craig and Lori Messinger, as well as UM SSW’s Adrienne Dessel, Sara Fitzgerald, Lorraine Gutierrez, Laura Sanders, and Michael Woodford.
Studentsfiirst.org
The purpose of the conference was to teach educators about the importance of informing social workers how to have socially just practice with LGBTQ individuals. Even those who identify as part of the LGBTQ population may not be competent in socially just practice with this specific group. Often social workers assume that they understand how to work with LGBTQ individuals because they feel they are overall culturally competent. However, working with LGBTQ individuals is not discussed very often in training and workers may have little interaction with clients or colleagues who are sexual minorities. Additionally, people who identify with each letter of the LGBTQ acronym have different needs
Shelley Craig’s research looks at social work students’ readiness to practice (RTP) with LGBTQ clients. She recognized there is a lack of adequate information about LGBTQ populations in courses and literature, which has a negative impact on social workers’ RTP and their service with clients. Most LGBTQidentified social work students surveyed in her study believed that there is a relatively low inclusion of LGBTQspecific content in their courses. One third of the students even reported experiencing homophobia. They also rated themselves consistently low on RTP with all groups and rated their non -LGBTQ colleagues even lower. However, students report greater RTP with explicit curriculum content such as assigned readings, challenges that may arise with being an LGBTQ social worker, and feeling supported at their insti-
tution. This indicates there is great a need for more integration of LGBTQ issues in all courses to help social workers build competencies in working with these individuals. It is also important for social workers to think about how the intersection of their identities affects who they are as professionals. No person is influenced by just one aspect of their identity. Both heterosexual and non-heterosexual students need to examine how their sexual orientation and gender identity play a role in their practice. For students who identify as a sexual minority, there is an initiative called “Out in Field” within the SSW to support students in their field placements and help them think about their professional identity. They may have difficulties disclosing their identity, dealing with colleagues’ and clients’ discomfort with their sexual or gender identity and addressing discrimination. “Out in Field” is one resource they can access to help with these issues and is available on the OFI web page at http://ssw.umich.edu/programs/msw/ ofiLGBTQIADean'sIntitativeBrochure.pdf On top of a lack of course content for LGBTQ issues, field placements that specialize in LGBTQ services are rare. Many students may not have the chance to interact with LGBTQ individuals at their field placements. Therefore, students may miss out on the opportunity to learn how to best serve these clients. In order to compensate for these two issues, students should take the initiative to get further trained on becoming competent in serving the LGBTQ population.
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with LGBTQ Individuals Coming “Out” in Field Incoming social work graduate students want a field placement that will provide them with a good educational experience. While deciding when and where to “come out” is a personal choice, it is also important to understand that working in a safe and comfortable field environment is a right for all students. LGBTQ people may withhold personal information about their lives because they fear discrimination, rejection or isolation. They
also may decide to be “out” in all areas of their lives. It is important to remember that the decision to come out in the field placement setting is a personal and professional decision that should always remain with each individual. No one else should disclose another’s orientation without their express consent. Everyone has the right to decide to maintain privacy or disclose to others which is called “the management of disclosure.”
How to be a Fieldwork Site Ally
How to be a Field Instructor Ally
Have agency-wide diversity and human rights policies
Assess your knowledge and skills
Provide an inclusive and physically friendly environment
Seek out learning opportunities
Support and encourage the presence of “out” staff
Assess your agency for LGBTQ friendliness
Provide resources for LGBTQ client
Support diversity in hiring
Advocate for equity and justice
Suggestions from the Office of Field Instruction
When you go to your field placement, look at it from the perspective of a LGBTQ individual
Check to make sure that the building, intake forms, and policies are inclusive and welcoming for that person and suggest changes, if possible
Encourage colleagues and other professionals to become more educated about LGBTQ issues
Think about who you want to be as a social worker and how learning about how to have competent and socially- just practice with all populations fits into your goals
Attend the UM Spectrum Center’s Ally Development Training
Information provided by the brochure that was created by faculty, staff and students from the UM School of Social Work Office of Field Instruction (in cooperation with Dr. Lori Messinger (University of Kansas) and Rebecca Brigham (University of N. Carolina Chapel Hill).
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The Importance of Networking
By Jenna Voeks
Using your field experience as a means of networking can be beneficial to your future social work career and job search. Networking is important because it can connect you to the type of jobs you are looking for by knowing the people who are already doing that work. In your field placement, the most important resource is your field instructor. Developing a good rapport often promotes your field instructor from utilizing their own connections to help you as well. If you are wondering how to get networking help from your field instructor, think about your future career goals and address them during supervision. A good time for this is during your Educational Agreement discussion. From there, you can ask your instructor to suggest other colleagues doing
work you are interested in pursuing. You can also incorporate future career skills into your Educational Agreement. It is also important to be aware about projects or opportunities taking place in your field placement would foster the skills you wish to develop.
In field placement, the most important resource is your field instructor. After you have made connections with other social workers, informational interviewing can be beneficial. An informational interview is an informal opportunity to ask the social worker questions about how they acquired their position, the skills that they use and their daily tasks. Informational interviews function to form relationships between
individuals and connect people with similar career interests. After the interview, take time to send a follow up “thank you” note and ask if it would be appropriate to remain in contact about potential job opportunities in the future. Continue to periodically check in with these contacts and offer your help to them as well. This could be something as small as giving them an article related to their work. Just remember that the relationship is a two-way street. Other ways to network in field are to seek out additional volunteer opportunities within the organization where you could collaborate with other social workers. This could be done by sitting on a committee, becoming involved with an initiative, or joining a professional organization within the field. Becoming involved in these types of
A Mind-full of Joe Reilly (continued from page 3)
To learn more about Joe’s current work, listen to his songs, or spread mindfulness visit his website at www.joereilly.org
utilized macro-practice skills by inviting the community members to donate guitars for the kids to use. Some of Joe’s inspiration derives from his environmental practice background, a special studies course on Mindfulness and Children & Youth with Professor Edith Lewis who is now retired, and spending time at Plum Village, where he was taught by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Joe’s appreciation and understanding of collective consciousness encourages others to acknowledge that our existence is part of larger system. Spending time in nature and allowing himself “to be in the mo-
ment-to-moment” is a part of his own self-care practice. He realizes the importance of selfawareness and taking care of ourselves first. Joe believes that in order to give our full selves to those whom we serve, we must be able to take care of ourselves. In addition, he humbly recognizes the need for our talented School of Social Work community to adopt a stronger “We” culture and perspective for collectively promoting social change. Joe’s advice to cur-
rent students is to take advantage of supervision and utilize other interns or coworkers as resources. He says, “Don’t be afraid to learn and grow by keeping an open mind to new ideas and approaches”.
Joe Reilly playing the guitar at the Peace Neighborhood Center
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in Field Placement and Your Career
Outside of field, you could also take the initiative to volunteer in other agencies that share your interests or ask to have informational interviews with individuals who work there. The Career Center also can help to connect you with alumni who may be working in your desired field, so you can learn from their experiences and gain their advice. Faculty and your advisors can be other great resources for finding individuals practicing in your areas of interest. They often have col-
leagues around the country who could be good resources. Social media can also play a role in networking for your future career. Professional sites like LinkedIn offer groups that connect people who have common interests or careers.
Timetomarket.com
opportunities will give you the space to meet and network with other individuals within the agency that you might not otherwise come in contact with. It may also expose you to social workers doing the same kind of work in other agencies, depending on the scope of the group or project.
Overall, when networking, seek out common interests between you and the person you are meeting. These can be either within or outside the scope of social work. Mentoring can take many forms to help you find or get the job you are hoping for.
Utilizing connections to make new connections
Special thanks to Michelle Woods, Director of Social Work Career Center, for collaboration on this article.
Field Instructor Spotlight: John Carey (continued from page 7)
John loves his job. He finds that most people do not desire to work with individuals on the margins of society, but he whole-heartedly values his position. He appreciates the challenges he faces as a social worker working with marginalized individuals and enjoys the creative problem-solving required to provide the best
care for these patients. John also values the opportunity he has at St. Joe’s to work with multidisciplinary professionals who also strive to serve those lowincome individuals. John’s love for his job translates into his love for sharing it with students as a field instructor. He enjoys teaching and
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Website
uals who are being marginalized and to foster normalcy for both the patient and the hospital. He operates from a strengths-based approach with patients to shed light on the positives of the situation which can help make receiving diagnoses and dealing with physical and emotional health concerns more bearable.
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti
the energy it brings for students to have hands-on experiences in social work. He takes pride in knowing that he is aiding students in their training to become hospital social workers. John believes that more behavioral healthcare social workers are needed because they have the chance to impact people in the community and work with individuals who are in great need of support. Being a social worker in a hospital setting allows individuals to practice from a person-inenvironment perspective and to advocate to bring patients in from the margins of the healthcare system and society at large.
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Many Thanks to Our Peer Facilitators
Thank you to our student Peer Facilitators for their valuable contributions as co-facilitators to the SW531 Foundation Field Seminars Winter 2013 term.
From left to right: Zoe Zulakis, Rachael Wiener, Cameron Hoellrich, Allison Harte, Teague Simoncic
Thank you Field Faculty! The Office of Field Instruction would like to thank our field faculty for their ongoing commitment, time and passion they provide for the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work students. Serving as a bridge between the school and student’s field placements, they ease the students transition from course work to being a fieldwork student. Thanks again for your dedication!
Susan Wiant Crabb
Leigh A. Robertson Oliva Alban Kuester
Stacy L.. Peterson G. Warren Clark
Not pictured: William L. Vanderwill
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Announcements and Accolades Hartford Academic Centers of Excellence The School of Social Work is pleased to be selected as one of the initial Hartford Academic Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Social Work, funded for 3 years by the Hartford Foundation. This initiative will extend our partnerships and collaborations with organizations serving older adults in our geographic region and facilitate the development of new training models for social work intervention. We look forward to working with our partner organizations in the field that are providing services to older adults. Ruth Dunkle, Ph.D. is Project Director and Beth Spencer, MSW is Project Manager, elizspen@umich.edu.
What are your Continuing Education and training needs? The Hartford Academic Center of Excellence and the Continuing Education Department wants your feedback! Please fill out the survey below and tell us what would help you do your job better. One person who completes the survey will receive a $50 gift card!
http://umichssw.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_ehQrkz8fTHkesZL
Attention Students and Practitioners! The University of Michigan School of Social Work is offering an Addiction Certificate Program for students and professional social workers, nurses, and psychologists who plan to provide services to addicted populations. The program starts on May 6th. Visit the website for more information: http://ssw.umich.edu/programs/ce/blacp/index .html
Social Work and Sport Association Thank you to the Social Work and Sport Association for their hard work and dedication in planning the miniconference Beyond the Playing Field: The Social Impact of Sport. The miniconference was a great success!
CEU Opportunities
This exciting CEU opportunity is being offered free of charge to our active field instructors: "Social Worker to Manager: Core competencies for effectively bridging the gap between direct service and leadership" on July 16th from 9am-4pm. Would you like help preparing for the licensing exam? Sign up for the Online License Exam Prep Course. Beginning on May 15 to June 14th, this self-paced course is designed to help prepare you for either the Masters, Advanced Practice, or Clinical licensure examination. Please visit the link below for more information about these CEU opportunities: http://ssw.umich.edu/programs/ce/.
CAPS Internship Stipend The Office of Field Instruction is excited to continue their partnership with the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). CAPS provides a great field internship opportunity for second year 20-month U-M SSW students and is proud to announce that they will be providing a stipend for all of their interns. If you are a student looking to develop your clinical and outreach skills, this is the placement for you. Visit their website for more information http://caps.umich.edu/article/trainingspotlight-social-work-interns.
Thank You Field Instructors! The Office of Field Instruction would like to thank our field instructors for their time, commitment and passion for the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work students. We owe the success of our field instruction program to the hard work and investment the field instructors provide our school each day!
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OFFICE OF FIELD INSTRUCTION G. Warren Clark, Field Educator clarkw@umich.edu, (734) 647-9433 Susan Wiant Crabb (Su), Field Educator swcrabb@umich.edu, (734) 615-7930
Congratulations to all U-M School of Social Work graduates!
Lisa E. Kelley, Program Administrative Coordinator ssw.ofi@umich.edu, (734) 764-5331 Oliva Alban Kuester, Field Educator oakuster@umich.edu, (734) 647-2009 Stacy L. Peterson, Field Educator stacyk@umich.edu, (734) 763-6573 Leigh A. Robertson, Field Educator leigrobe@umich.edu, (734) 763-6254 William L. Vanderwill (Bill), Field Educator wmvand@umich.edu, (734) 763-0433 Elizabeth Harbeck Voshel (Betsy), Director voshele@umich.edu, (734) 647-2543
Visit our website! www.ssw.umich.edu/programs/msw/ofi
“Reach Out, Raise Hope, Change Society” Office of Field Instruction 1080 S. University, Room 1704 Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106 Phone: (734) 764-5331 Fax: (734) 763-4885
Mandy Wortz, Project Coordinator mrwortz@umich.edu, (734) 763-6321